Spirit of Justice


Spirit of Justice is a 1933 cast aluminum statue depicting Lady Justice that stands on display along with its male counterpart Majesty of Justice in the Great Hall of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C., the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Justice. The statue is of a woman wearing a toga-like dress with one breast revealed and arms raised and measures 12.5 feet.

History

The statue was commissioned in 1933 at a cost of $7,275, and was created by C. Paul Jennewein, who created a total of 57 sculptural elements for the building. Like most of the artwork and fixtures in the building, it is in an Art Deco style. Unlike many representations of Lady Justice, Spirit of Justice wears no blindfold, which is often utilized to symbolize blind justice.
The male statue, Majesty of Justice, is bare-chested.
The entrance to the Rayburn House Office Building also features a sculpture entitled The Majesty of the Law.

''Spirit of Justice'' and the Attorneys General

American singer-songwriter Tom Paxton wrote a humorous song entitled "John Ashcroft and the Spirit of Justice", inspired by the Attorney General's alleged covering of the statue, in 2002.